the older
philosophers contended that by the presence of two breasts woman was
originally intended to bear two children.

Hirst says: "Supernumerary breasts and nipples are more common than is
generally supposed. Bruce found 60 instances in 3956 persons examined
(1.56 per cent). Leichtenstern places the frequency at one in 500. Both
observers declare that men present the anomaly about twice as
frequently as women. It is impossible to account for the accessory
glands on the theory of reversion, as they occur with no regularity in
situation, but may develop at odd places on the body. The most frequent
position is on the pectoral surface below the true mammae and somewhat
nearer the middle line, but an accessory gland has been observed on the
left shoulder over the prominence of the deltoid, on the abdominal
surface below the costal cartilages, above the umbilicus, in the
axilla, in the groin, on the dorsal surface, on the labium majus, and
on the outer aspect of the left thigh. Ahlfeld explains the presence of
mammae on odd parts of the body by the theory that portions of the
embryonal material entering into the composition of the mammary gland
are carried to and implanted upon any portion of the exterior of the
body by means of the amnion."

Possibly the greatest number of accessory mammae reported is that of
Neugebauer in 1886, who found ten in one person. Peuch in 1876
collected 77 cases, and since then Hamy, Quinqusud, Whiteford,
Engstrom, and Mitchell Bruce have collected cases. Polymazia must have
been known in the olden times, and we still have before us the old
images of Diana, in which this goddess is portrayed with numerous
breasts, indicating her ability to look after the growing child. Figure
145 shows an ancient Oriental statue of Artemisia or Diana now at
Naples.

Bartholinus has observed a Danish woman with three mammae, two
ordinarily formed and a third forming a triangle with the others and
resembling the breasts of a fat man. In the village of Phullendorf in
Germany early in this century there was an old woman who sought alms
from place to place, exhibiting to the curious four symmetrical
breasts, arranged parallel. She was extremely ugly, and when on all
fours, with her breasts pendulous, she resembled a beast. The authors
have seen a man with six distinct nipples, arranged as regularly as
those of a bitch or sow. The two lower were quite small. This man's
body was covered with heavy, long hair, ma